The relative risk to health if you’re indigenous compared with non-indigenous is not reducing. The gap is not closing, no matter what the government would like to say.

When you match by disease condition, indigenous people get 40-60% of what non-indigenous people get.

There are a lot of bullshit policy and “plans” around with no definable actual plans, money or measurable outcomes attached to them. Content-free policy indeed.

Let’s not get started on the institutional racism, intentional genocide, discrimination that are ongoing

Oh and then there is the bullying, discrimination and internal sabotage that happens in Australian institutions in general if you try to change something or complain about something.

Overall, this is very depressing. Just the lack of progress. Things can definitely be done. There are multiple studies that show huge benefits from simple interventions. But these things need funding, community consultation and a sensible approach. Things which are completely lacking in Australia.

People like me are slowly making a difference but seeing as we’re starting these changes in 2013, it will take at least a generation for the institutional culture to change enough to be dynamic and less bitchy. We can make incremental changes, and some of these things do snowball into big effects on the community, but for the most part we actually need a change from the top. Or a big, earth shattering disruptive event that forces things to change, the way that the invention of the printing press, the discovery of relativity and the end of apartheid in South Africa did.

I swing from feeling energetic and positive to feeling despondent and depressed and angry.

I have some plans, but I’m scared it will be hitting my head against a brick wall. I need help with all of this.

Similarly, bipartisan support was given to continue to imprison refugees indefinitely in privately run overseas detention centres. This includes imprisonment of children including children that arrive separately from their families. The conditions have been repeatedly shown to punish and be physically and mentally detrimental to people who are already traumatised by war and torture.

Another policy with bipartisan support is the Northern Territory “intervention” in which poor Indigenous people living in the state with the second highest cost of living have their dole money quarantined from them. Oh, and of course a policy slanted towards removing children from their extended families “for their own good”. And no replacement for the body that used to represent Indigenous people, ATSIC.

What these policies have in common is a complete failure and lack of moral leadership. It’s easier, it seems, to prey on homophobia, xenophobia and racism for votes in “marginal seats” or from “factions” than it is to improve the country and make some kind of meaningful change for the better.

Australia’s policies are roundly condemned by the UN and people in countries around the world. Australia is thought of as a country full of redneck bigots who don’t give any sort of a flying fuck about anyone but themselves and are complete hypocrites when it comes to world affairs.

Hilariously, people here get quite uppity about the Australian episode of the Simpsons.